Breathe Bubbles
by Marshmallow Fudge Up
Summary: "He walked up to the cliff's edge, taking a deep inhale. His toes hung over the side. Natsu held her breath, eyes wide. Her brother was stupidly brave. She wondered if he'd chicken out. Without glancing back, Shouyou bent his knees and jumped." The stupidest choices can lead to the best results. [ Mermaid! AU ]
1. Chapter 1

**Breathe Bubbles**

 _Chapter One_

* * *

"Don't worry! Just watch your big brother try it!" Shouyou urged. He was nearly vibrating with excitement.

"Fine." Natsu agreed, her voice unsure. She fumbled with her hands as he happily ruffled her windblown hair in passing.

He walked up to the cliff's edge, taking a deep inhale. His toes hung over the side.

Natsu held her breath, eyes wide. Her brother was stupidly brave. She wondered if he'd chicken out.

Without glancing back, Shouyou bent his knees and jumped.

* * *

Sharp, stabbing, digging in. He tried to scream, eyes rolling back.

Shouyou tasted red. It seeped, seared, spread. In his nose, in his mouth, in his throat. It veiled his vision and weighed down his limbs. It muffled his hearing and left him cold. Unbearably cold.

Up was down and left was right. He had lost orientation. Legs and arms reached out, sides twisting back and forth. He flailed, desperate. His movements were frantic- panicked. Every side was pressed in, heavy.

He was slowing. Weakening. Drowning. He was drowning.

Dying.

He imagined dying would be like sleeping. Easy. Painless. But every beat of his heart hurt a little more. It felt like his lungs were shriveling.

He imagined that his life would pass before his eyes. But his mind could only think of fear, fear and hurt and help me mommy, please mommy.

He imagined it would be dramatic. But it was eerily quiet, motionless as he gave up struggling. He floated. His body ached.

Soon enough white edged at the red. Somewhere in the back of Shouyou's mind, he was relieved. As it was, he was numb with terror. Every moment he felt his grasp on consciousness loosen.

Pressure on his wrist. And then he faded.

* * *

 **Notes:** So... I always get the urge to write about mythical creatures falling in love with humans. I think I'm gonna follow through this time and borrow the Haikyuu! cast. Leave a comment to let me know if you'd like to read more! :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Breathe Bubbles**

 _Chapter Two_

* * *

Shouyou toed the shoreline, foam kissing his skin. The air was cool and salty, licking sweat down his back. Sunlight was hiding behind the clouds.

His mother told him Natsu found him washed up and bleeding on the sand. His father told him he was suffering from a concussion. The doctor told him he was lucky to be alive.

They all asked what happened. But Shouyou couldn't remember. He knew they were staying at his aunt's seaside cottage for the summer. He knew he wanted to go cliff diving with his sister. But he couldn't recall ever jumping.

The doctor informed the family that memory loss was possible with a concussion. He warned Shouyou that he might feel fatigued and dizzy, and headaches were fairly common with head trauma. The symptoms could last months.

Shouyou sighed, staring off to where the water touched the sky. His head felt heavy. But other than that, he felt no discomfort. He supposed he should be grateful to the waves.

It's been three days since the incident. Shouyou was unconscious for the first. He was bedridden for the rest. But somehow he managed to escape for fresh air. He always felt antsy when confined to a room.

Seagulls cried out above his head. The shore shushed as it rushed over the beach. Shouyou's breath was loud in his own ears.

He didn't know why he decided to look towards the water crashing into the cliff. Maybe it was instinct. Maybe it was curiosity. Maybe it was fear. Maybe it was fate.

A glimpse of gleaming blue disappeared into a splash of water.

"SHOUYOU!" He jolted at the suddenness of his sister's shout. His head swerved towards Natsu, and he instantly felt dizzy. He whined, clutching at his head. Small hands steadied his swaying, and he fought down the urge to vomit.

"I'm sorry- I'm sorry, you idiot! I didn't mean to scare you. You should be in bed!" Natsu blustered- panicked. She rubbed at his back, scared to irritate his head more. Realizing that her voice wouldn't help, she quickly shut her mouth.

They stood, ankles wet, while Shouyou oriented himself. He took deep breaths, closing his eyes to the light. Moments passed by slowly.

"... Okay…" He whispered, minutes later. "I'm okay."

"Okay," Natsu said softly in return. She nudged him lightly, and together they headed back for the cottage.

It was when he was in bed again that he spoke.

"I'm sorry, Natsu." But she just shook her head and headed back out. He realized she probably didn't understand that he was apologizing for more than sneaking out.

* * *

 **Notes:** Something we can all agree on: Shouyou was an idiot for jumping off a cliff with no parental supervision.

A comment mentioned how they thought this story was going to be cutesy. Don't worry! There'll be cute scenes in the future. Although some aspects of this story are going to be borderline mature.

 **A side-note:** Since the manga or anime isn't specific about Natsu's age, I'm making her ten years old. Hope that doesn't bother anyone!


	3. Chapter 3

**Breathe Bubbles**

 _Chapter Three_

* * *

Pressing, pulling, pushing. He was the waves' plaything. Everything was backwards- inside out, outside in. Red encompassed his every sense.

Sheer terror, faltering conscious. Feeling against his wrist, unlike the unrelenting water. Shouyou sluggishly opened his eyes. Salt burned his vision.

Something struck Shouyou as odd, an outlier in the bleeding ocean.

Fading, it suddenly occurred to him.

* * *

Shouyou woke with thoughts of blue, panting out of a nightmare. He trembled out gasps, feeling nauseous. Feeling almost out-of-body, he slid into a sitting position. He grasped at his ginger curls, trying to slow his breathing.

Dimly he recognized that he was having a panic attack. Before being discharged from the hospital, a nurse had warned him of them. That depression, anxiety, and personality changes were possible with concussion. That panic attacks were a symptom. At request, she kindly explained what to do when in one. But for the life of him, Shouyou couldn't recall anything through the haze of fear.

Moments passed by slowly. Shouyou focused on breathing through the tightness in his chest, forehead pressed against his knees. It was a long process, but soon enough his limbs loosened. The buzzing in his brain calmed down, and the overwhelming panic eased.

Taking one last deep breath, Shouyou lifted his head. The room was poorly lit, weak light pouring from the windows. The curtains swayed slightly with the salty wind. Sunrise was breaking.

Standing shakily, Shouyou made his way to the window. Pinks and purples and oranges and blues painted the sky beautifully. The sun rose steadily over the sparkling ocean.

Something twisted inside him. That same water nearly killed him. Was he scared of it? Was he angry? This wasn't the first time Shouyou had asked himself those questions.

After staring a second longer, his mind was made up. Carefully and quietly the ginger made his way through the cottage, slipping on his flip flops and heading for the beach once more.

Ten minutes later and somewhat winded, Shouyou dragged his feet across the sand towards the calming waves. As he got closer, anticipation ate at his chest. So far, so good.

The back and forth _shoosh_ of the water tickled his ears. The taste of the air was heavy on his tongue. Deliberately he kicked off his footwear, edging closer to the ocean. Soon enough the demanding waves swept past his ankles and licked his knees. He breathed softly, assessing himself.

Indeed, there was a wariness deep-rooted in his chest. But it was instantly treated by a sense of peace and comfort that the water brought him. Ever since he was a child, he loved the ocean. Most of his cherished memories were composed of beach days, swimming lessons, and barbeques.

The sun was nearly risen, blue seeping into the stunning explosion of colors. Seagulls started calling in the distance. Shouyou looked at the scene in genuine awe, never fully used to the view he had seen many times in his life.

An unexpected splash jolted him out of his daze. Shouyou blinked rapidly, panning the shore in confusion. And not even 10 feet away, he spotted it.

Blue eyes shone with the morning light. Shouyou couldn't help it.

He yelped.

* * *

 **Notes:** Thank you SO much for all of the feedback! I'm so candidly surprised at how much I've gotten. Each comment is sweet and I appreciate them so much! Thank you thank you thank you!

I hope you enjoy this chapter. Any comment is taken with joy!


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